Costume Party
by Orion nine
Summary: Four cursed trick-or-treaters find themselves a very long way from terror firma when they arrive at a Halloween party being held on board an interstellar space ship. As with any good Halloween party, those in attendance at this shindig may not be all that they seem. Based on characters appearing in House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2.


**Costume Party**

In a swirl of grey smoke, four small beings suddenly materialized in the airlock of a space ship thousands of light years from Earth. They were dressed as a pirate, a cowboy, a princess, and a devil and they each carried with them some kind of bag or sack.

"Great, now where are we?" said the princess, as she looked around the sterile, metal room.

"Let's find out the way we always do; let's knock," said the pirate.

The devil reached out his little red claw and banged on the steel door in front of them.

Nothing happened for a few moments and then the big door slowly slid open with a decompressing _whoosh_ sound. Standing behind it was a woman in a shiny, futuristic jumpsuit with very frizzy, eighties-looking, brown hair. In her hand was a martini glass filled with blue liquid and on her face was a look of drunken bemusement.

"Trick 'r treat," said the costumed visitors in unison, although not very enthusiastically.

The woman burst out laughing.

"Of course. Why not? Come on in kids!" she said, gesturing with zeal.

The trick-or-treaters had nothing better to do, so they entered. The woman closed the airlock door, hiccupped, and began to lead them down a long, surprisingly dark, hallway that looked much grungier than the room they had just been in.

"Um, where exactly are we, ma'am? If you don't mind me asking," said the cowboy, as they walked.

"You're aboard The Despoina. A mining ship currently orbiting the moon Kratus six hundred thousand light years into deep space," said the woman.

"You, uh, don't seem too surprised to be getting trick-or-treaters way out here," said the princess.

"Sweetie, when you've been in space as long as I have and seen half the weird shit that I also have, you start to just accept things as they come at you." She wiggled her drink a little. "And about six ah these help a lot too."

As they reached another door at the end of the hallway, the woman took a card out of her pocket and swiped it against a screen. The screen identified her as Dr. Diana Cromwell, Planetary Geologist, and the door opened. On the other side was a room full of about forty adults, men and women, some wearing makeshift Halloween costumes, dancing to rock and roll music, and drinking colorful liquids. This would have come as a surprise to the trick-or-treaters, except they had also been around quite a bit themselves and shared Dr. Cromwell's attitude towards the unusual.

"Come on in. Mingle around," said the doctor.

"What year is this?" asked the cowboy.

"2525," said Dr. Cromwell in the same way someone says the name of their home town.

"And Halloween is still alive," said the pirate.

"Oh yeah, it's one of the few holidays anyone actually celebrates anymore," said Dr. Cromwell. "We love to do it up here for Halloween. As best we can, anyway. It boosts morale and relieves the boredom. My name is Diana, by the way"

As they looked around, the trick-or-treaters could see what she meant by "as best we can". Instead of a pumpkin, there was a large oil can on one of the metal tables that had had a jack-o-lantern face carved into it and a flash light placed inside. Most of the people weren't wearing costumes, but the ones who were had clearly thrown them together out of whatever was lying around. One guy was all wrapped up in toilet paper, a mummy, apparently. Another guy had on a football jersey that said Houston Asteroids and had black grease smeared under both his eyes. There was a blonde woman who was in nothing but a white bra and panties with crudely painted, cardboard angel wings on her back, and there was some person in a space suit with a skull painted on the front of the helmet with dry erase marker, making them look like The Spooky Space Kook. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, though, costumed or not.

"Are you wearing a costume?" the princess asked the doctor.

"Yeah, she's here as a drunk!" said a blonde, roguish looking man as he came up behind Cromwell and put his arm around her.

"She never, ever, ever drinks. Except tonight. We finally got her to try some Venusian rum," he said. He then began to kiss the doctor's neck. "Who are the kids?" he asked her.

"We're not kids," said the devil. "Not exactly."

The man looked at the trick-or-treaters a little more closely and noticed how tired and haggard their faces were, and how realistic the devil's mask was…

"It's kind of a long story," said the princess.*

"Okay," said the man, not really in the mood for any stories. "Well, my name's John. I'm Diana's fiancé and one of the ships engineers."

The trick-or-treaters couldn't have cared less. They were simply there to trick-or-treat and had no interest whatsoever in anyone's personal lives. They really weren't all that interested in trick-or-treating either, truth be told.

Suddenly the music stopped.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have everyone's attention!" a weasely sounding voice called over the shouts of protest from the crowd.

The trick-or-treaters turned to see a small, bespectacled man with a clipboard standing in the doorway.

"That's the ship's first officer," Cromwell whispered to them.

"What the hell does he want?" asked John.

"About one hour ago a non-human entity was detected aboard The Despoina," said the first officer.

Everyone began to look around worriedly.

"It seems to have beamed aboard the ship using highly advanced alien technology. After initially being detected, this intruder was briefly tracked down a south corridor when it suddenly disappeared from our scanners. We haven't been able to get the scanners to work since, so we've had security personnel combing the ship trying to locate it. Unfortunately non have reported back."

The first officer could sense the growing fear amongst the crowd.

"_Yet_. Non have reported back_ yet_. I don't want any of you to panic. I'm merely telling you this so that you can be on alert. Having said that, I, on behalf of the captain, would like to ask that all non military personnel stay in the rec room until we have located this… thing. If you must venture anywhere else on the ship, please do so with a buddy and try to arm yourselves as best as you can. Are there any questions?"

The mummy guy called out, "What's this thing look like? How big is it?"

"Unfortunately we were not able to get video surveillance of it, but the scanner indicated that it has an… indefinable shape and weighs about four hundred pounds," said the first officer.

"Well, I guess we can't miss that," said John.

"Alright, be careful everyone. Carry on," said the first officer, and he left, the door closing behind him as he went. The music came back on.

"Well, that's pretty exciting, huh?" said Dr. Cromwell.

"Do you even have any candy?" asked the devil, bored.

Before anyone could answer, the mummy guy and the angel woman came over.

"Well, this is spooky. Aliens aboard," said the angel.

"It's just like that movie," said the mummy. "You know, the one where there was an alien aboard that ship."

"Guys, this is Brian and Susie, two miner friends of ours," said Dr. Cromwell to the trick-or-treaters.

The angel and mummy nodded towards the new comers, but otherwise paid them no attention.

"Wouldn't it be cool to kill the sucker," Brian said to John. "I'll bet there'd be some kind of reward or something."

"I think we should just let the military guys handle it," said John.

"Screw that. I've got an electro rifle in my bunk right now. All I needs is one shot at this blob thing," said Brian.

"It's true. He's a really good shooter," Susie chimed in.

"I would advise against it," said Dr. Cromwell.

"Oh, what do you two know? You're drunk anyways," said Brian. "Come on, babe, Let's get my gun."

"Why do I have to go?" asked Susie.

"You'll be my… buddy," said Brian.

He pulled her to him and they sort of awkwardly walk/danced away.

"Those two," said John, with a laugh. Then to the trick-or-treaters, "Hey do you guys want a drink or something? Are you old enough to drink?"

A little while later, in another part of the ship, Susie turned a dark corner.

"Brian," she called.

The two had gotten his gun as they said they would, but on the way back to the rec room they had somehow gotten separated. Now, alone, scared, and in her underwear, Susie wandered the dimly lit corridors alone.

"Oh I am going to kill him!" she said to herself. "Brian, if this is some kind of joke it's not funny. There's a monster on the loose." she called.

Only her own voice echoed back.

Suddenly the lights overhead flickered and she heard a slurping oozy sound behind her. She gasped and turned around.

Nothing there.

Just to be safe, she stayed facing that way and walked backwards.

"Brian!" she called again.

There was a sudden _squish_ as she backed into something large and soft. She turned to face whatever it was… and SCREAMED!

Her scream could not be heard over the rap music now playing at the Halloween party. Dr. Cromwell had been bumping and grinding all over the place ever since John had gotten worried and gone to look for Brian and Susie. The trick-or-treaters sat at a nearby table looking miserable. They weren't big on Halloween parties, or Halloween, or parties. The princess lit a cigarette.

"It could be worse," said the devil. "We could be stuck as Christmas carolers forever."

The other three just glared at him.

"Suse, where the hell did you go? I told you to stay behind me," Brian said angrily as he searched the empty halls for his missing girlfriend. He had taken off his toilet paper and was now just wearing a silver jumpsuit. In his hands he carried his fully charged electro rifle.

"Nobody ever listens to me. I know what I'm talking about for Christ's sake. I could have been in the corps myself if it weren't for that psychological evaluation. I'm a brilliant strategist."

He rounded a corner and was too busy complaining to himself to see where he was stepping. Then he heard the splashing sounds his boots were making. He looked down to see a pool of blood.

"What the f-," he said, as he looked at the wall next to him and saw bloody hand prints and a large streak of blood going up it and onto the ceiling.

He gulped and turned his attention forwards where he saw, a little ways down the hall, something scrunched up on the ground. When he went over to it and touched it with his toe he saw that it was a pair of blood stained white panties.

"Suse?" he said, worry creeping into his voice.

A sudden noise from above caught him off guard and he turned quickly and shot in its general direction. The electro bolt he fired hit one of light panels on the ceiling and shorted it out. The other lights in the hallway started to go out also, one by one.

That's when he saw the thing, whatever it was, appear out of the oncoming darkness and he dropped his rifle and ran, too scared even to yell. He ran and ran, but as the lights went out and the darkness engulfed him, so to did the creature. It gobbled him up before he could even scream.

Back at the party, John joined his fiancé as she sat with the trick-or-treaters.

"I didn't see them anywhere in the halls and they weren't in either of their rooms. I hope they haven't gotten into any trouble," said John.

"I'm sure they're fine," said Cromwell, sipping another drink.

"Can we get out of here now?" the pirate whispered to the cowboy.

"I suppose we better mosey," he whispered back. "It doesn't look like there's really anything for us here."

Just then the doors flew open and in came the first officer again, only this time he had a gash in his bald head and was covered in blood.

"Stop the music! Stop the music!" he shouted hysterically, and the music was shut off. Everyone gave him their full attention.

John stood up.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's worse than we feared," said the first officer. "This isn't just another routine stowaway. I just got attacked in the south wing by what looked like Brian Granger, but when I fought back… I-I-I grabbed at his face and it c-c-came off in my hands. Underneath it-it-it was horrible. This creature… it can wear human skin like a costume."

"Now things are getting interesting," said the devil. "We gotta at least stay and see how this comes out."

"Where is it now?" asked John.

"I shined my flashlight in it's face and it retreated away like it was hurt. I took off running and came straight here to warn everyone. We need to contact the bridge."

"Calm down, man," said John. Then to Dr. Cromwell he said, "Diana, hit the com and let the bridge know what's going on. Tell them that the monster could be anybody and to be on alert. We'll lock down this room until the danger has passed."

"Right," said Cromwell, standing up rather wobbly. The danger of the situation suddenly sobering her up, but not entirely.

She went over to a nearby wall where a com station was set up. She picked up a mic and began to relay John's message.

"Meanwhile," John continued, pointing to the first officer, "His head is gonna need medical attention."

"I'll handle that," said a man in a jumpsuit. "I've had medical training."

"Well done, Frank. We'll just wait it out in here until security can handle the situation out there."

"But the alien can disguise itself as anyone," said the princess to John. "What if they're already in here with you?"

Everyone in the room began to look at each other nervously.

"Yeah, the kid's got a point," someone said.

The princess took a self satisfied drag on her cigarette.

"Now let's not have this turn into some kind of witch hunt," said John. "If this thing was in here with us, don't you think it would have already tipped its hand already?"

There were unsure mumblings from the crowd.

Dr. Cromwell hung up the com.

"Okay, the captain said it's fine if we stay here. All military personnel have been exhausted, but they're trying to locate-" she said, but was cut off by the first officer's frantic voice.

"It's no use. They're all dead. All security is lost. And Granger. And who knows who else. You haven't seen this thing. It's huge and hungry and unstoppable." he said, as Frank attended his wound.

"Don't talk like that," said Dr. Cromwell. "We've faced aliens before."

"Not like this. This is ravenous and smart."

While this little drama played out, the trick-or-treaters sat idly by, talking amongst themselves.

"Isn't it coincidental that an alien who can disguise itself happened upon a space ship in the middle of nowhere on the one night of the year when everyone is supposed to be wearing disguises anyway?" asked the pirate.

"_That's_ the part of all this you find the weirdest?" asked the princess.

"I guess all we can do is wait and see what happens," said Dr. Cromwell, embracing John, who held her in his arms tightly.

"Well, I'm not gonna just wait here to die," said a tough looking rough neck in the corner.

"Yeah, me neither," said a few other people.

"Everyone settle down," said John. "You want to go running off? Is that what you want? You want to end up dead like Brian and Susie? They decided to go off alone and look what happened to them."

"I only saw it wearing Brian's face," said the first officer. "I never saw Susie out there at all. She might still be alive."

"Yeah, there's no way of knowing she's dead too," said a red haired woman. "What makes you think she is, John? And where were you after Susie and Brian left here?"

Everyone turned and looked at John.

"I went looking for them," he said. "Look, I don't know what you all think you're thinking, but you better forget it. I'm here trying to help us all, so if you're trying to label me as an alien just remember whose idea it was to lock us in here."

"Yeah, keep us all in one place so you can feed." said one of the miners.

The crowd started to move towards John a little bit.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Dr. Cromwell, as she stood in front of John. "He was only assuming Susie was dead. Who told us that all the security personnel was gone, huh? Who saw Brian last and is covered in _somebody's_ blood?"

Everyone stopped and turned to the first officer, who lay on the floor with his head in Frank's lap. Frank let go of his bandaged head and backed away.

"No! This is all my blood! I barely escaped with my life. How do we know that she's not the alien," said the first officer, pointing at Cromwell. "She's so quick to point blame. To draw suspicion away from herself. She was drunk ten minutes ago, now look at her. Funny for someone who never drinks."

"Hey, yeah," said a black crew member.

"Fear can be sobering," said Cromwell. "That's a medical fact."

"If the alien is among us, and I'm not saying it is, than it could be anyone of us," said John.

"Halloween is fun," said the devil to his comrades.

"I'm amazed nobody has accused us yet," said the cowboy.

"Wait a minute!" said the first officer. "The alien is afraid of, or hurt by, bright light. We can find out if one of us is not who we say we are by shining a flashlight at one another."

"Let's give it a shot," said somebody.

"Here's mine," said the first officer, holding his flashlight up like a torch.

John took it from him quickly. He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment and then shone it at Dr. Cromwell. She averted her eyes a little, but was not otherwise repelled by the light.

"There, you see?" said John.

"Now do me," said the first officer.

John shone the light on him and nothing happened. One by one John hit everyone in the room square in the face with the beam of light, all forty-something crew members, and nothing happened.

"Well, are you satisfied?" he asked.

"Now do yourself." said a miner.

"Honestly, this is stupid," said John.

"It's okay, dear, just do it to satisfy them," said Cromwell. She squeezed his shoulder in support.

John smiled and gave a little laugh. Then he laughed again, only this time it sounded wet and weird. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Then his smile started to spread wider and wider. It widened until it cracked the edges of his mouth and broke the skin. The onlookers looked on in horror as John broke the flashlight in half with his bear hands. Dr. Cromwell jumped back with a gasp. John slowly reached up and pulled the expanding skin away from his face entirely. The crowd made a choking sound.

"Good lord!" someone screamed.

The alien's true face was nothing but slimy, slug-like skin and a large, sucking mouth with several rows of sharp teeth inside it. John's body, now the aliens, began to inflate grotesquely and soon it burst allowing the alien's fat, tentacled form to be set free.

"Oh my god! John, no!" cried Dr. Cromwell.

"Oh yeah!" said the devil, pounding his fists on the table in excitement. Even the other three trick-or-treaters couldn't help but be intrigued by this latest development.

"Foolish humans," the alien gurgled. "You thought you could stand a chance against me? I don't need to hide from you any longer. You have proven yourselves weak and delicious. Now I'll consume you all and take this ship back to my home planet."

Rather than fear and panic, as the alien had expected, everyone in the room suddenly became very calm and started chattering amongst themselves.

"Humans?" asked Dr. Cromwell. "Is that what you think we are? That's just our Halloween costume this year."

The trick-or-treaters looked at each other in confusion. Then they looked at the alien's face, or what passed for it anyway, and thought they could see it too trying to work this out.

Dr. Cromwell very casually reached up and pulled her own face off revealing something like a spider's face underneath. There was a bunch of eyes and fur and two large moving pincers for a mouth. Everyone else in the room removed their masks, revealing similar features.

"The only reason you were able to kill us so easily is because you picked us off one by one. Now that we've got you here alone it occurs to me that there's a lot more of us than there is of you," said Cromwell. "Still, there should be enough to go around."

The alien began to back away from the crew.

"This is for my fiance," said Dr. Cromwell.

The whole crew began to swarm the alien and sink their fangs into it's soft, squishy flesh. Meanwhile, the trick-or-treaters, now completely forgotten about, sat by watching the mayhem.

"You want to get out of here?" asked the pirate.

"Yeah," said the others in unison.

"Does this count as a trick, or a treat, or what?" asked the devil as all four began to disappear in a swirl of grey smoke.

"Psh, who cares," said the princess.

And with that they were gone.

*See House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2.


End file.
